Life and Career
Applegate was raised in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh to an Irish American Catholic family. In 1982, Applegate graduated from Moon Area High School. She spent her freshman year at Temple University in Philadelphia. In her sophomore year through graduation, she attended New York University, where she received a degree in television and film.
Before turning to newscasting Jodi briefly worked as an actress. In 1986 she appeared in a television version of the classic children's book "A Pocket for Corduroy" as the mother. In 1987 Applegate appeared in a television version of the Mercer Mayer children's book "There's a Nightmare in My Closet" also as the main character's mother.
In the early 1990s, Jodi was a host of Close Up on C-SPAN, a weekly public affairs program that featured a high school student audience. She later worked as a radio and television traffic reporter for Metro Traffic in San Francisco. From 1993 to 1996, Applegate hosted Good Morning Arizona on KTVK in Phoenix. During her stay in Phoenix, Applegate met and married sportscaster Rob Nikoleski; they are now divorced.
In 1996, Applegate was the first face seen on MSNBC at its launch. She anchored MSNBC Live and Weekend Today on the main NBC network. She also filled in as a substitute host on the Today show. In late 1999, she hosted Later Today with Florence Henderson and Asha Blake. The show was canceled in 2000.
In mid-2001, Applegate joined WFXT in Boston. She anchored the short-lived Fox 25 News at 4:30 newscast then moved to 5:00 by early 2002. She anchored the Fox 25 Morning News for about a year from September 2003 then moved to New York sister station WNYW in October 2004.
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